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5 apps to prevent distracted driving

By Steve Fox, Digital First Media

Posted:
11/14/2013 07:20:09 PM MST

Updated:
11/15/2013 04:52:39 AM MST

(iStock/Thinkstock)

As my 15-year-old son gets ready to take his driver's education course, get his learner's permit and head down the path to a life of driving, I worry about how to get across this one simple message: No texting while driving.

The statistics are striking. And, it's worth stopping and absorbing them with your teenager. According to FCC.gov, ”The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that in 2010 driver distraction was the cause of 18 percent of all fatal crashes – with 3,092 people killed – and crashes resulting in an injury – with 416,000 people wounded.”

And, of more relevance to teens, Distraction.gov says, ”11 percent of all drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted.”

The ubiquitous nature of smartphones and mobile communication has created a culture where we seemingly CAN'T be without our phones.

Texting has easily become the primary form of communication amongst teens. When my son first went to middle school, the home phone rang off the hook for the first few months, until he got his first cellphone at Christmas. Then, the phone never rang again.

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He was busy texting.

Smartphones aren't just for texting and checking e-mail anymore. We live in a mobile world where our teens can post updates and photos to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram – the list is endless.

And, it all has to be done NOW. At school, at work ... and in the car.

One of the more ingenious things my 10-year-old has done in the past year was to put a sticker on my steering wheel with a big hand on it, stating, “Stop, don't text.”

It's a simple but effective reminder. AT&T's ongoing “It Can Wait” campaign drives this point home effectively, as do other moving and disturbing videos describing the horrific damage created by texting and driving accidents.

But there are also applications and tools out that that offer ways to help proactively attack the problem. Searching for an app that serves your needs takes a bit of time, but I've done some of the work for you. Here's a sampling of the best anti-distracted-driving apps I found:

Canary | iOS, Android; $14.99 lifetime subscription
The pricing option here is attractive. And I can practically hear Sting singing “Canary In a Coal Mine” with this app. Unlike other apps out there, Canary does not block the ability for drivers to text or check their phone, but will instead notify you when your teen unlocks their phone when driving. Canary will also let you know when your driver exceeds speed limits you set, goes outside “geofences” you set up or if your teen violates a curfew. That last option is really the one that sold me here.

CellControl | Android, iOS (audit only); $89 (one-time purchase)
The more I write and investigate apps, the more stunned I am about what technology can do. CellControl requires installing a device under your steering column that monitors when the car is moving. Once the car starts in motion, a blocking screen pops up on the driver's phone, preventing the driver from texting. The screen disappears when the car stops moving. If your teen is like mine, they will try to beat the system, but any attempt to remove or disable the monitoring device prompts an alert from CellControl. iPhone users are at a bit of a disadvantage with this app, as CellControl will send alerts if iOS phones are being used inappropriately, but it will not prevent texting.

TextLimit | iOS, Android; $24.99/year per phone
This app allows parents to set a speed at which some of the phone's features will be partially or completely disabled. But the app also permits parents to contact their children even if their calling and texting options have been suspended – call it “super-user” privileges. Parents can also receive an email alert when their teen exceeds a certain speed limit. And, an added benefit with this app is that TextLimit may qualify you for an insurance discount.

DriveSafe.ly | Android, iOS, BlackBerry; $13.95/year for single user, $34.95/year for family pack
The cost options here are attractive, especially if you're trying to keep more than one teen safe. The app's highlight feature allows the driver to hear incoming texts and e-mails, and provides an automatic response, allowing the driver to provide an “I'm driving, I will get back to you later” option.

DriveScribe | iOS, Android; free
The advantage to this app is that it's free and promotes safe driving. While this app does not specifically block the ability of drivers to text, it does promote safe driving, issuing a Safe Driver Score after each trip. Drivers are able to accumulate points based on safe driving, and then can turn those points into gift cards to be used at places such as Amazon.com and Sports Authority. The idea here is that if your teen is focusing on driving safely and compiling points, they won't allow themselves to be distracted.

In the end, it may seem a little strange to pay money for an app designed to assure that common sense is in place. After all, a simple option is to just turn off your phone when you climb into the car. Androids and iPhones each have “Do Not Disturb” options as well. Yet for some reason, discipline often goes wanting with cell phones – just watch a couple on a date sometime.

Even I will look down at my phone when it beeps as I'm driving. And I'm far removed from a teenager with impulse-control issues. But all you really have to do is watch one of these more graphic anti-texting videos to understand that any app cost is worth it.

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